Rules of Prey: A Lucas Davenport Novel

The "maddog" murderer who is terrorizing the Twin Cities is two things: insane and extremely intelligent. He kills for the pleasure of it and thoroughly enjoys placing elaborate obstacles to keep police befuddled. Each clever move he makes is another point of pride. But when the brilliant Lieutenant Lucas Davenport, a dedicated cop and a serial killer's worst nightmare, is brought in to take up the investigation, the maddog suddenly has an adversary worthy of his genius.

Dead Watch

In Washington, D.C., a cell phone rings. The White House chief of staff needs Jacob Winter now. His chief investigator and an Army Intelligence veteran, Winter knows how to move quickly and decisively, but he's never faced a problem like this. The disappearances are bad, but when the blackened body shows up barbed-wired to a tree, Winter knows there is much worse to come. And soon enough, there is. Large forces are at work, determined to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends.

The Night Crew

Best-selling author John Sandford takes all the action and suspense of his acclaimed Prey novels and heads west to the dark gleam of L.A.- where the Night Crew works. A mobile unit of video freelancers, they prowl the midnight streets to sell to the highest network bidder. Murders. Robberies. High-speed chases. For them, it is an exhilerating life. But tonight, two deaths will change everything.

Uncaged: The Singular Menace, Book 1

Shay Remby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife, searching for her brother, Odin. Odin’s a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal-rights activists hit a Singular Corp. research lab in Eugene, Oregon. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog. When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin - talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide - she’s concerned.

The Late Show

Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor. But one night she catches two cases she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn.

Memory Man

Amos Decker's life changed forever - twice. The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good and left him with an improbable side effect - he can never forget anything.

Amazon Customer V says:"Good plot BAD edit and mixiing"

Publisher's Summary

Six months ago, Lucas Davenport tackled his first case as a statewide troubleshooter, and he thought that one was plenty strange enough. But that was before the Russian got killed. On the shore of Lake Superior, a man named Vladimir Oleshev is found shot dead, three holes in his head and heart, and though nobody knows why he was killed, everybody - the local cops, the FBI, and the Russians themselves - has a theory. And when it turns out he had very high government connections, that's when it hits the fan. A Russian cop flies in from Moscow, Davenport flies in from Minneapolis, law enforcement and press types swarm the crime scene - and, in the middle of it all, there is another murder. Is there a relationship between the two? What is the Russian cop hiding from Davenport? Is she - yes, it's a woman - a cop at all? Why was the man shot with ... fifty-year-old bullets? Before he can find the answers, Davenport will have to follow a trail back to another place, another time, and battle the shadows he discovers there - shadows that turn out to be both very real and very deadly.

Having read many of the installments in the Davenport series, I was a little surprised that the usual cast of family and law enforcement characters were minimized in this novel. It was all about Lucas and the characters created for this particular story. And it worked. Carl wasn't very believable but this was tempered somewhat by grandpa who was a great character and who allowed us to believe that maybe Carl could be someone in the real world. I liked Nadia and wouldn't mind seeing her in other Davenport installments (although I'm not sure exactly where this book falls chronologically in the series). As always, narrator Richard Ferrone was superb. His delivery is impeccable, especially when portraying low-life characters. This was not the best Davenport novel I've listened to but it was well worth my time.

Book #15 in the series of 22 featuring Lucas Davenport, this was my first exposure to Lucas Davenport, having picked up the book on sale. He sounds like an interesting character, but the mystery doesn't really hold together well. A 50-year-old communist cell in northern Minnesota consisting of members of several clans but previously undiscovered in a region where historically Socialism had taken root? Unknown to the FBI? A grandson brainwashed by his kooky grandfather, apparently willing to do whatever it takes to further the cause? Structurally, you need to accept that an important character in the beginning and end but apparently incidental to the plot withheld the key to the case only to reveal crucial elements when Lucas was stuck. Nevertheless, I liked the internally incompletely resolved conclusion. Will the case reach full closure in connection with a later book in the series? The writing is good; I'd be willing to give another Sandford book a try if the story had an average rating of 4+ by others.

I'm glad that a previous reviewer (Adry) mentioned a background noise that sounds like another story or radio--too faint to be understood but loud enough to be distracting, especially during pauses in the reading. This is the first Audible book that I found to be technically flawed in this way.

Understand this is a "tough guy" mystery type but the constant use of f*** just makes the characters look stupid and lacking in any depth. Sure doesn't give me the idea that "good guys" even have brains to figure out anything ...only that they are constantly irritated and know only one word. The plot seemed a bit Far fetched. The many "exciting" twists made it feel even more so.

The title was vague...but the story was awesome. I had a little problem with the second part, it had a back noise like radio or something but AUDIBLE courteously give me $10 credit for it...Im very grateful... Thank you

I plan to make it a bi-annual read because it is Sanford's best novel. There is much going on with the plot, it weaves around so easily bringing all the characters together in an intricately written plot.

What did you like best about this story?

The great characters from Davenport himself, to Grandpa, and the Russian female cop. I mean it was absolutely dazzling. I have now read all of Sanford's books due to the un-abridging bonanza. I would go so far as to say that this book equals or bestsany cop/thriller book on the market.

Have you listened to any of Richard Ferrone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The usual perfection.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Definitely written with great humor, as are all Lucas' novels.

Any additional comments?

I promise if you like Davenport's other books it's a no-brainer, if you are new to Davenport this book should give you reason to read more by Sanford.

John Sanford has managed to create a book with a sufficiently intricate plot to keep the reader interested, along with a variety of characters that he skillfully interweaves among the activities. It surprises me that a series as established as this one can present a book with such a fresh face.

What made the experience of listening to Hidden Prey the most enjoyable?

I like listening to these mystery books as you get a better feel for each different character by the voice and infliction of speech.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Russian "cop". She was intense but very funny at the same time

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

NO, Listened to this book on my commute to and from work and while working out.

Any additional comments?

Yet another good Lucas Davenport read! This time Lucas is dealing with Russian spies in Minnesota. A story with a good plot and a very psychotic bad guy that is a grandpa. You don't usually find the old grandpa being such a bad guy! There was even some great humor. I was listening to this while working out at the gym one day and I know people had to be looking at me like I was crazy when I am laughing at a few scenes while lifting weights. I enjoy Sandford's intense plot lines and his sense of humor which make for a great book

This must've been the weakest story of the series. The Russian spy character didn't have any purpose in the book. Her English was ok at times but then she was stupefied by the meaning of simple words. I was rolling my eyes at the narrators attempt to get the accent. The story itself not very believable either. Overall - huge disappointment.